Israel has hit back at comments by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon saying Benjamin Netanyahu has “lost the plot”.
The deputy Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel issued a missive on social media saying Luxon wouldn’t comprehend the “challenges that come with facing Hamas”.
In a post on X responding to Luxon telling the Herald yesterday that Netanyahu has “lost the plot”, Sharren Haskel was dismissive of the NZ Prime Minister’s concerns.
“I guess when you don’t really need an army because your most deadly enemy is a possum or a cat you wouldn’t comprehend the challenges that come with facing Hamas - a jihadist death cult - only a few kms away from your country, that rape, execute, burn alive, and starve your people.”
I guess when you don’t really need an army because your most deadly enemy is a possum or a cat, you wouldn’t comprehend the challenges that come with facing Hamas - a jihadist death cult - only a few kms away from your country, that rape, execute, burn alive and starve your… https://t.co/BECZ1BOxe1
— Sharren Haskel השכל שרן (@SharrenHaskel) August 13, 2025
Haskel is the deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Israel. She is a member of the New Hope Party, which is a minor support party in the current Israeli Government.
Following Australia this week saying it would recognise the Palestinian state, she also posted on X that such a move rewarded the October 7 massacre and was a “profound moral failure”.
The Prime Minister’s Office was unable to offer immediate comment. Luxon is expected to speak to media later in the day.
It comes after Luxon on Wednesday said what was happening in Gaza was “utterly, utterly appalling”.
“I think Netanyahu has gone way too far. I think he has lost the plot. What we are seeing overnight, the attack on Gaza City, is utterly, utterly unacceptable.”
Luxon said the Israeli Prime Minister is “not listening to the international community”.
He said he had been “consistent” in his language and said the current military actions were “driving more human catastrophe across Gaza”.
New Zealand has limited trade and connection to Israel, Luxon said, but “we have stood up for values”.
Luxon reiterated that any attempt by Israel at annexation would likely breach international law.
When he was pressed on the gravity of saying another leader had lost the plot, Luxon said: “I am telling you what my personal view is”.
“As a human being, looking at the situation, that is how I feel about it.”
Neither his Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour, nor Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters would say if they agreed with Luxon. Both wanted to verify his remarks before commenting to media.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins echoed comments former Prime Minister Helen Clark in calling the situation an “unfolding genocide”.
He explained that politicians shouldn’t appoint themselves “judge and jury”, but there was a case to be answered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
On Monday, the Government announced it would formally weigh up New Zealand’s position on the recognition of Palestine over the next month.
The New Zealand Jewish Council on Thursday morning said it was concerned the “Government may move to recognise a Palestinian state in the absence of a comprehensive peace agreement, and urges Ministers to consider whether this would truly advance a peaceful and stable two-state outcome”.
“For decades, New Zealand governments of all political stripes have understood that premature recognition risks undermining, rather than advancing, the peace process. Recognition has always been envisaged as the culmination of a negotiated settlement and not a substitute for one.”
The council said the only “viable and just resolution” to the conflict was a “negotiated two-state solution that results in a secure and recognised State of Israel alongside a peaceful and democratic State of Palestine”.
It welcomed the Government’s support “for the release of all Israeli hostages, the disarmament and removal from power of Hamas, and the normalisation of relations between Israel and the Palestinians”. “
“These are vital steps. Recognising a Palestinian state without those conditions being met removes incentives for progress and does not explain what will happen if they are not achieved.”
According to the Times of Israel, Netanyahu on Sunday rejected allegations of genocide, saying if Israel had wanted to commit genocide, “it would have taken exactly one afternoon”.
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Jamie Ensor is a political reporter in the NZ Herald press gallery team based at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub press gallery office. In 2025, he was a finalist for Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards.